Several folks tried to catch her but the only people she trusted were the food truck guys. As luck would have it, a local rescuer went by to see if she was present during the lunch hour. Gypsy was hanging around the food truck as usual, so the rescuer went to talk to the men about her. She explained that it was dangerous for the dog when they weren’t there and that she wanted to try to find a home for Gypsy. After some reluctance, one of the food truck guys picked up Gypsy and put her in the back of the rescuer’s car. A foster was located and it seemed Gypsy had a safe place to go. Unfortunately in rescue, that’s not always the end of the story.

The foster that offered to care for her informed the rescuer that she could only keep her for the night. The rescuer called Kris and they both began calling around, desperately looking for a place for Gypsy to go. It turned out that the lady that offered to foster Gypsy hadn’t discussed it with her husband, and he was not on board and wanted the dog gone asap. Kris and Chuck discussed how they could help. They agreed to go pick Gypsy up that night and set her up in their garage. It was not ideal, but it was a safe place for her to decompress.

Gypsy was terrified when Kris went to pick her up. She shook so hard, hiding under a folding chair; it took more than an hour just for her to sniff Kris’s hand. She calmed down a bit once the leash went on and she hesitantly walked out to Kris’s truck and hopped in.

It was very cold out, so lots of blankets were piled up for her to nestle in, a heater was aimed at the covered crate, and Gypsy made herself at home. Kris started calling rescue organizations, looking for a place for this sweet, scared dog. The only option she came across was transporting her to another state later that week. Kris told the rescue representative that Gypsy was in no condition to be loaded on an 18-wheeler and transported. She was making slow progress- not shaking uncontrollably each time Kris would go sit with her in the garage - but the thought of putting that terrified dog on a transport vehicle didn’t feel right.

After a week or so with the Barbers, Gypsy was making herself at home and letting herself in to visit Hailey each day. Hailey had been using an insulated room in the garage as her work space for doing her online classes during the covid shutdown for colleges. Gypsy’s bed was moved into Hailey’s office, and she looked forward to busting through the door each morning to jump into Hailey’s lap! Gypsy was always disappointed when it was the weekend and Hailey wasn’t in the room when she and Kris got back from their morning walk. Hailey would try to remember to go out to the room on the weekends, just so Gypsy could run in to greet her! It was great to see Gypsy go from a terrified dog to quite a confident dog, at least with the Barbers. Strangers were another matter!

Weeks with Gypsy turned into months with no adopters or fosters reaching out via social media and then the “freeze” of February 2021 hit Houston. Gypsy couldn’t stay in the garage during a power outage, so the decision was made to move her inside where she could snuggle in lots of blankets when the power went out. Inside was definitely warmer than the garage. She fully embraced her new inside life!

She had a bedroom that was all hers and she loved snuggling on the bed. She was the last dog to go out in the mornings because she never even opened her eyes when Kris would be coming and going, letting the other dogs out. Gypsy was not an early bird. The Barbers did a few introductions with other dogs, including Ivy, to see if Gypsy could play with some of them. She had a few play sessions with Ivy, but they didn’t seem to really get along well. She met Ginger, but Ginger was very passive, and Gypsy had found her inner confidence. She completely intimidated Ginger with her rough housing. She played a little with Bear, but he was older and uninterested in anything but squirrels, so Gypsy and Kris would play alone in the dog run each morning.

After a few more months, the Barbers took in Lacy. Once Lacy and Gypsy met, they were a bonded pair right off the bat (and partners in crime!). The Barbers knew that Lacy couldn’t jump up on the window seat but quickly figured out that Gypsy could (and would!). Gypsy didn’t start stealing things until she and Lacy started living as roommates. If Kris took off her shoes off and put them up out of the way thinking they were safe, Gypsy would steal them as soon as Kris left the room, and Lacy would chew them up! The two of them learned to work as a team to commit their crimes - lol. Kris and Chuck are still learning the craftiness of Gypsy!

When it rains, or during dinnertime chaos, the den dogs get antsy, and Gypsy, being in the next room, does as well. The Barbers installed two baby gates to separate the two rooms of dogs, with a buffer zone in between. Gypsy would just jump over the first gate and antagonize the den dogs through the second gate. So, rather than remove the first gate, it was moved back behind the bedroom door and the door was locked. However, as Kris and Chuck learned fairly quickly, Gypsy hasn’t met a door she can’t unlock once she sets her mind to it! The first few times they realized that Gypsy was once again out of the bedroom, antagonizing the den dogs, they went to relock the door, thinking maybe they just forgot the lock and only shut the door. Kris told Chuck that she was sure she locked the door on more than one occasion, but there was Gypsy, facing the den dogs at the second gate not more than 5 minutes after the door was closed! Chuck stood right outside the door, listening to Gypsy jump the baby gate and begin the process to unlock and open the door! It took less than 5 minutes! She was (and still is) Houdini!! It makes more sense why the food truck guys said she would let herself into their truck; if there’s a place she wants to be, she’ll figure it out!

As the Barbers learned over the years with Gypsy, she does not want to be contained. They had to come up with a plan to keep the dogs separated for everyone’s safety if no one was home. Chuck brought in a thick piece of plywood, taller than the baby gate and secured it where the baby gate had been and slid it behind the heavy dresser to keep it stable, blocking the door. They thought it was too heavy for her to move – ha ha! Gypsy took it as a challenge and promptly curled her little toenails around the bottom edge of the board and worked at it until it slid enough for her to squeeze through. Once she got the board moved, that only left the door for her to quickly unlock. It seemed that they had been outsmarted again! Chuck had a heavy fold-up ladder in the bedroom for a project. Instead of taking it back to the garage, Kris leaned the very heavy ladder on the board, behind the door, thinking that would deter her. That worked for a few months, and then she figured out how to get the ladder shifted (making a nice big hole in the sheetrock!) so she had more room to slide the heavy board. Another failed attempt and a very difficult barrier for the humans! They were coming and going through the outside door to the back patio from the bedroom; another door that had to have a barrier…Gypsy can unlock the door and deadbolt lock!

Eventually, the board was removed and a new 5’ metal gate (similar to a baby gate, but taller) was installed just behind the bedroom door. In theory, this should have worked all on its own, but after only a few days, Gypsy threw herself at the gate and was able to get it off kilter enough to crawl over it, and again, unlock the door! The metal gate is now currently propped up on both sides with the heavy ladder on one side and the bedroom door propped open, on the other; Kris and Chuck are hoping their new barricade holds Gypsy in the room with Lacy! Time will tell.

The things the Barbers do for the rescues they take on! Gypsy is, like the rest, a work in progress. She loves her bonded sister Lacy and has become such a confident dog compared to that night she was shaking like a leaf in a stranger’s garage. Gypsy is considered a sanctuary dog because she is bonded to Lacy. Gypsy doesn’t take kindly to many other dogs, but she has deemed herself Lacy’s protector. The Barbers wouldn’t break up that bond so they will live happily ever after as RTTRS sanctuary dogs.